Oh for sure, I've reread quite a few Niven and other sci-fi novels of my youth lately and yeah that kind of thing is pretty common (I mean it came out in 1974).
But I like the whole premise of the Motie system and culture and why they've been bottled up and the impact that's had. The slow reveal is pretty well done.
On the gripping hand it's probably not as a totally realistic portrayal of what first contact would be like but when I first read it it was more of an attempt than a lot of other stuff I'd read to that point.
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Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position.
But certainty is an absurd one.
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